


i give to you.

by bugsandrainbows



Category: Shadow of the Colossus, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, Human Sacrifice, M/M, Sacrifice, Shadow of the Colossus AU, yoonmin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 15:16:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9826091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugsandrainbows/pseuds/bugsandrainbows
Summary: Yoongi didn't deserve to suffer such a tragic fate. Jimin will stop at nothing to right that.(aka - i suck at writing descriptions)





	

**Author's Note:**

> this whole story is set in the universe of Shadow of the Colossus. if you don't know the game and its story and are interested in it, i highly recommend you look it up and/or watch a playthrough of it at some point (my favourite playthrough can be found [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av8ji_5LFZI&list=PLMBYlcH3smRwkiOM_A9nuPPiFK1CZ0Hc9) ^^). be warned though, doing so will spoil most of the story for you (i mean i will make some changes to it but overall, i'll follow the main storyline). also, the first paragraph and the dialogue between Jimin and Dormin is taken from the game itself in an attempt to keep this faithful to the original, after i just said that i _will_ be making changes to it xD. i for one am nervous and have no idea if this is even going to work, but hey-ho, let's go! either way, happy reading and thanks for dropping by! comments and feedback are much appreciated! ^^

_‘That place… began from the resonance of intersecting points… They are memories replaced by ens and naught and etched into stone. Blood, young sprouts, sky and the one with the ability to control beings created from light… In that world, it is said that if one should wish it one can bring back the souls of the dead… But to trespass upon that land is strictly forbidden.’_

 

 

When they suddenly reached a clearing in the thick woods and Jimin saw a massive wall stretching out in front of him, covered by thick layers of vines, leaves and shrubbery, he almost couldn’t believe his eyes. He nudged Agro to keep going, as the mare had come to a bit of a halt as they approached the wall in front of them. With a soft neigh and lowering her head, Agro took them closer.

They had been walking for days by now and while Jimin often pulled out his sword in order to check if they were heading the right way, they had travelled for so long that he had almost began to give up hope at one point. But then they had reached the forest. It was thick, its soil stony and hard to navigate through at anything beside a slow pace; its trees towered high above them, their immense green crowns casting a thick shade on the ground below. Even when the sun was shining somewhere high up in the sky, its light barely filtered down through the blanket of leaves. It made for a rather dark, humid and chilly atmosphere even on the warmest of days. However, Jimin was determined to push on. They barely encountered more than a deer or two on their way and barely heard any birds sing in this area, save for a thrush that Jimin thought might have followed them for a while; the only noteworthy things they’ve come across were huge stones coming out of the ground, or large mounds that rose suddenly from the soil and were now covered in moss and leaves. Jimin never stopped to pay too much attention to them, but he suspected that they were remnants of centuries-old buildings. Or that was what he hoped they were. Because if they were, he might just be on the right track.

As they were nearing the middle of the clearing they had reached, Jimin pulled out his sword once more and lifted it above his head. Immediately, the sword seemed to catch the golden sunrays that filtered through the tree branches above. The blade in Jimin’s hand shined almost blindingly, focusing all of the sun’s light into one singular beam which fell upon a spot in front of them, towards the left. As the beam focused on that particular spot, Jimin started to hear a low rumbling from beneath the vegetation in front of him. Agro took a step back but Jimin steadied her. He too felt uneasy about this place. But they had already gotten this far. Jimin was determined to carry on. Soft vibrations shook the ground underneath them and suddenly everything began to shake and tremble; cracks and snapping sounds filled the otherwise all too still air around them now as a tall gate, at least ten metres high, slowly opened in front of them. Once the gate had fully opened everything seemed to stand still again. The forest became eerily quiet. Jimin sheathed his sword and prompted Agro to move towards the now wide open gate. A cold and strong wind hit them as soon as they reached the opening in the wall. Jimin hugged the bundle he was carrying with him closer to his chest, hunched his shoulders and had to close his eyes for a few seconds before being able to open them again. He could feel his bow pressing against his spine and straightened out again. Agro let out a surprised whinny as she steadied herself.

In front of them stretched an enormous, albeit narrow, bridge. It seemed to tower high above ground level as nothing else could be seen to the left or to the right of it. Harsh, brilliant golden sunlight hit Jimin and Agro straight on as they stepped in beyond the tall gate. The wind was now almost howling in Jimin’s ears as he realised they were standing on the edge of very tall cliff. Jimin looked around and his heart stood still when he took in their surroundings and realised where they were. In the distance, so far away that its silhouette was a bit blurry, Jimin could see an immense structure that had to be the Shrine of Worship. He swallowed hard, in an attempt to calm himself, but to no avail. His heart was hammering away, pulse thundering in his ears and making him feel as if a lump had settled in his throat. He suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Jimin took one more look at the bundle he was carrying, hugged it tightly and then straightened himself once more and nudged Agro to start walking across the bridge.

It was a narrow structure, built entirely out of stone. As Jimin had initially suspected, the bridge stretched high above the ground, at least seventy meters, sustained by massive half-arches placed at even intervals along the length of the bridge. At the other end of the narrow passageway rose a building unlike anything Jimin had ever seen before in his entire life. Not that he had seen terribly much or had lived that long. Yet this entire place left Jimin dumbstruck. Old and clearly man-made structures rose in front of him, but it was obvious than no human had set foot here for a very long time. And the structures themselves were of a completely different style to any building in the neighbouring areas. He might as well have walked into a completely different part of the world. There was a stillness and an impenetrable silence in the air, broken only by the soft howling of the wind. Underneath them, vast green fields and canyons stretched out, seemingly infinite. In the distance, Jimin could see hills and forests, all a pale-blue colour. A shiver ran through his entire body and he tightened his legs around Agro’s sides, holding the reins so tightly in his hand that his knuckles were turning white by now. For the first time since he set out on this journey, he suddenly felt very small. Incredibly small in this vast open space, completely unknown to him. He looked up at the tall structure of the temple in front of him. Jimin had to tilt his head all the way back in order to take in the building and its height. It was tall and lean and soared to the skies above, towers jotting out of its sides here and there. It too was made completely out of stone, its cold grey colour a sharp contrast to the golden halo created by the sun above them. He wasn’t entirely sure, but Jimin thought he could make out tiny black dots flying around the towers above. He guessed they might have been eagles.

As they neared the end of the bridge though, Jimin lowered his gaze and kept it firmly fixed on what seemed like another gate. Just when he considered whether he should pull out his sword again in order to try and gain entry, Jimin heard another deep rumble and saw the gate in front of them slowly lift in order to reveal a set of stairs going downward into the temple. Agro came to a halt and let out a small huff as the door opened. She didn’t like it here. Jimin knew. His brows furrowed and his lips stretched out into a thin line as he patted her and told her to go on. Agro swayed in place for another split second before beginning their descent into the shrine. The door closed behind them almost immediately as they entered and for a moment all Jimin’s eyes could perceive was complete and utter darkness. Agro continued to walk forward, slowly; Jimin could sense she too was taken aback. After all, she couldn’t see at all just now. Jimin ran a hand down the side of her neck to soothe her. After blinking a few more times, Jimin could see a small opening in front of them; the light filtering through it brightening the end of the narrow hallway they were navigating. Reaching the end of the passage brought them to a small stone ledge; from here, Jimin could see just how high up they still were. To their left started a narrow, downward-spiralling slope, ending in what seemed like a small pool of water, tens of metres below where they stood just now.

Jimin was surprised at just how loudly Agro’s hoofs echoed through the towering walls around them, accompanied only by the sound of their uneasy breathing. When they reached the bottom of the slope, to their left again Jimin finally saw what he had travelled all this way to find. On the other side of a very wide and tall nave-like structure, set along an open wall lined with graceful arches that let in the blinding golden sunlight from outside, stood a small stone altar. Jimin quickly prompted Agro, who set out to walk across the nave, towards the small stone altar. As they traversed the large interior of the shrine, Jimin couldn’t help but notice that its walls were lined by a set of imposing statues, eight on each side. All were at least ten metres tall. At the end of these rows, high above them, Jimin could make out a sort of opening in the shrine’s ceiling. Blinding pale-yellow light shined down from that opening and Jimin wondered fleetingly if it was still the sunlight above, filtered and magnified through some strange means, or if it was something else entirely that emitted such a light.

Agro came to a halt when they were a few steps away from the wide set of stairs that led up to the altar in front of them. The wind was more like a soft breeze down here, at ground level, and Jimin inhaled deeply as he climbed off Agro, careful not to drop the bundle that rested against him this whole time. Yes, the air was definitely more familiar down here. He could smell the subtle scent of the grass outside, mixed in with that of the earth itself. And sunlight. Blinding, infinitely powerful sunlight. Once he was off, Jimin cautiously took the bundle from Agro’s back and carried it in his arms over to the altar.

The wind was quite strong here, seeing as they were close to the open end of the shrine, and soon enough it blew over the simple brown cloth that covered the bundle Jimin held tenderly in his arms; a flash of pale, milky skin caught the corner of Jimin’s eye for a split-second but he kept his eyes firmly fixed ahead. When he finally stood in front of the altar, Jimin carefully placed the body he was holding onto the cold stone table. With one swift movement he tore off the thin cloth that covered Yoongi and stood there, looking down at him. The elder looked peaceful, almost as if he were asleep. But Jimin knew all too well that no matter how hard he tried to wake him up or how long he had held him tight in order to warm him back up, through what at first seemed like an eternity filled with nothing but Jimin’s own sobs and wails overflowing with despair and sadness, Yoongi would not react to either. He remained completely still, his entire body ice-cold underneath Jimin’s touch. He might have looked like he was fast asleep, dreaming peacefully, but Jimin knew all too well that Yoongi would never wake up from that sleep ever again. Yoongi was dead. The sheer echo of that thought bounced all through Jimin’s mind and body, crushing everything it touched and making his heart turn in on itself with pain. Yoongi was dead. But he _could_ be brought back to life. That was why Jimin had travelled all the way here, to the Forbidden Lands. Yoongi was dead, but Jimin would not stand for that. He would bring him back. No matter what.

Yoongi’s hair fluttered gently in the warm wind that blew into the vast room of the shrine. He was wearing a simple white robe. Just as Jimin was about to reach over and touch his hand, Agro let out a scared neigh, bringing Jimin back from his brief reverie. He turned around only to find that several shadow-like creatures had seemingly emerged from the shrine’s floor. They were humanoid in form, but seemed to have a body made out entirely of black smoke and dark light. Jimin shuddered as he watched the shadow-creatures begin to walk towards Agro as she backed up towards the altar. Without a second thought, Jimin unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards the strange creatures. The sword’s blade caught the outside sunlight yet again and began to pulsate; a powerful energy erupted from the blade and swooped across the dark figures, blowing them away as if they were merely made of ashes.

Almost immediately, the sky outside became overcast and Jimin could hear thunder in the distance. In stark contrast to that, the light that flooded the nave from the opening high above, just in front of the altar, became even more radiant. A deep, thunderous voice addressed Jimin from somewhere high above. In fact, it was not _a_ voice, Jimin soon realised, it was _several_ voices that spoke. But they were all saying the same thing at the same time, as if multiple entities started to speak at once.

‘Hmm? Thou possess the Ancient Sword? So thou art mortal…’ the voices bellowed.

‘Are you Dormin?’ Jimin was determined to not let himself be intimidated by this entity. He was scared, yes, but even more than that he was resolute. He had a vow to fulfil. ‘I was told that in this place at the ends of the world there exists a being who can control the souls of the dead.’

‘Thou art correct… we are the one known as Dormin…’

So it really was one entity that somehow encapsulated several others.

‘He was sacrificed for he had a cursed fate. Please…’ Jimin had to stop himself there and inhale deeply. His chest hurt and he quickly blinked away the tears that threatened to form on the corners of his eyes. ‘I need you to bring back his soul…’

‘That youth’s soul? Souls that are once lost cannot be reclaimed… Is that not the law of mortals?’

The voice was loud and echoed brightly through the vast room; strangely though, Jimin didn’t feel intimidated by it. He stood there, resolute, surprised that their conversation was actually still ongoing, given what Jimin was asking for.

‘With that sword, however… it may not be impossible.’ Jimin could have sworn that if the entity would have had a mouth, it would have been smiling just now.

‘Really?’ He cried out. His entire body was trembling slightly. So there was some hope left.

‘That is, of course, if thou manage to accomplish what we asketh.’

Jimin’s features hardened as he looked up at the light above.

‘What do I have to do?’

‘Behold the idols that stand along the wall… Thou art to destroy all of them. But those idols cannot be destroyed by the mere hands of a mortal…’

Jimin sized up all of the sixteen statues again before turning back and addressing Dormin.

‘Then what am I to do?’

‘In this land, there exist colossi that are the incarnations of those idols. If thou defeat those colossi the idols shall fall. Hold up thy sword to reflect the light onto the colossus. Its vitals shall be revealed...’

‘I understand.’

‘But heed this, the price you pay may be heavy indeed.’

Jimin furrowed his brows and clenched his fists.

‘It doesn’t matter.’ Nothing mattered. He was going to bring Yoongi back. Regardless of what it would cost him.

‘Very well… Raise thy sword by the light and head to the place where the sword’s light gathers. There, thou shalt find the colossi thou art to defeat. Now be on thy way.’

The light above dimmed and suddenly, all Jimin could hear was the quiet whisper of the wind and the soft draping sounds of his cloak and Yoongi’s robe.

He turned to look at Yoongi once more. The elder’s body lay on the altar and though Jimin knew very well that Yoongi was dead, he still couldn’t shake the feeling that he would open his eyes at any second, smile widely at Jimin and ask where they were. Jimin’s breath caught in his throat at that thought. He looked out at the open field in front of them, cliffs and hills visible in the distance. Soon, Yoongi would be back and smiling again. He would make sure of it.

Hurrying down the stairs in front of the altar, Jimin went over to Agro and leapt onto her back. With a small kick, they were running out of the shrine and Jimin was lifting his sword once more. Its blade instantly caught the sunlight shining down on them again and focused it into a single, brilliant, beam of light that pointed directly ahead of them. Jimin put the sword away and lightly kicked Agro’s sides, prompting her to run faster.

As they traversed the vast open plains Jimin soon spotted an opening in the cliffs ahead of them. When they reached the tall formations, Agro climbed a set of stairs only to come to a halt in front of a tall precipice covered in vines here and there. Jimin pulled the sword out again in order to check whether they were indeed in the right area. The sword shined its beam of light high above them. So the first colossus must have been at the top of this cliff. Jimin started to scan his surroundings more closely as he hopped off Agro. Soon enough he noticed a ledge over to his right and beyond it he could make out a sort of path that zig-zagged up the side of the otherwise steep cliff. He would have to climb all the way up there alone.

Jimin walked over to Agro and looked her dead in the eye as he stroked her and spoke softly.

‘Wait for me here, alright? I have to leave you here for now, but I’ll return shortly, I promise.’ He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the mare’s as she let out a soft neigh and shook her mane. With one last brush of his fingers on Agro’s nose, Jimin turned away and made for the ledge.

Jimin climbed up the side of the cliff by holding on to the vines that grew on the harsh stone underneath. He then walked left, along the narrow path that treaded upwards until he reached another ledge. He was slightly out of breath by the time he climbed the second ledge and jumped over a small hole along the path. He walked on until he reached a spot where a single, large pillar seemed to pop out from the side of the cliff, blocking his way along the path. Taking a few steps back in order to gain some extra momentum, Jimin sprinted for the column ahead, jumping and managing to grab onto a small ledge that protruded from the column. After he made his way around the column Jimin managed to jump off it and back onto the path that lead up towards the top of the cliff. As he was nearing the top Jimin could see trees rising ahead, lining the precipice alongside some shrubbery. His heart was beating quite fast by now and his mouth felt dry. Pain was pulsating from the palms of his hands and his fingers, radiating through the rest of his upper limbs, yet Jimin pulled out the sword from its sheath and held onto it tight as he walked the remaining distance to the very top.

Just as he was about to look around and get his bearings, Jimin was almost knocked off his feet as the very ground beneath him rumbled and shook violently. He immediately dropped to a crouching position, frantically trying to make out what was going on. A low and powerful rhythmic thumping sound broke the silence of the high cliff. Jimin could feel his heart get stuck in his throat and his lungs crying out for air as he glanced over to his right. Just how big were these colossi he had to go up against?

He soon received his answer when he realised what was making the low, reverberating sounds which were drawing nearer by the second. An enormous creature was making its way towards Jimin’s direction, its footsteps shaking the ground it walked upon. Jimin remained in his crouched position, trying to assess the situation, only to find that the colossus continued to walk right past him. He swallowed hard. His heart was hammering away against his ribcage, far too fast by now. He could feel adrenaline rushing through his entire body, making him jittery. Cold sweat ran down his spine as his gaze followed the huge creature that continued to walk into the canyon towards the left. The creature walked on two legs and, from behind, looked similar to a human, except Jimin had seen its face when it walked by only seconds ago – it looked more like the face of a bull, with what seemed like two stubs that were once horns protruding from the sides of its head. It had brilliant ice-blue eyes. Its long hands swung limply along the sides of its body as it walked forward; in its right hand it held an enormous club. Eagles seemed to be circling its head as it made its way forward.

Once it reached the end of the canyon, the colossus turned around and started to make its way back towards where Jimin stood. It still didn’t seem to pay much attention to the small human, about a good twenty meters shorter than it. Jimin was a bit confused. Then it hit him – the colossus must have been patrolling. And there was no danger in sight. Not yet at least.

Jimin had to find the colossus’ weak spot and kill it. He started to run towards the slowly moving creature, lifting his sword as high up as he could. A large flash of ice-blue light appeared on top of the creature’s head and a smaller one created a weak aura on the back side of the creature’s left leg and Jimin stopped to take a better look. He braced himself. Of course the main spot would be on the creature’s head – it was the most difficult place to reach. Jimin’s brain started to work at full speed, trying to figure out how he could somehow climb up the colossus. Before he realised it, he had pulled his bow out and was aiming an arrow straight at the creature’s left leg. As soon as the arrow hit it, the colossus’ eyes turned an intense shade of bright orange and it looked around fervently. When it spotted him, the colossus let out a deep howl and aimed his club towards Jimin, forcing the archer to run away and dodge the colossus’ club as it swung it down towards him. Jimin managed to escape and the club hit the ground with a loud blow. The impact was stronger than anything Jimin could have anticipated; it rattled the earth beneath him and threw him off his feet entirely and by the time he got up and was running again, the colossus was already preparing for its next swing.

Jimin’s lungs and throat felt like they were on fire. Never in his life did he think he could run at such a speed and for so long. He was wheezing as he stopped near the side of the colossus and fired one more arrow at its leg. It had to work. It had to. Jimin kept aiming his arrows so that they would injure the colossus in such a way as to render that leg useless. Two more arrows lodged themselves firmly into the creature’s shin before Jimin had to start running again in order to avoid another swing of the massive club the colossus wielded. Luckily for Jimin, while the creature might have been large in size, its movements were slow, giving Jimin just enough time to be able to navigate around him.

As soon as those last arrows hit the colossus’ lower limb it let out a great screeching sound that had Jimin covering his ears for fear of going deaf. Seconds later the earth was rumbling beneath Jimin’s feet again as the colossus fell down and was now kneeling on its right leg. The young archer seized his opportunity and ran towards the colossus. Coming up behind the creature, Jimin leaped towards its leg and held on tightly before starting to climb up its calf. He was half-amazed to find that what he was holding on to as he climbed the colossus was a deep brown-coloured fur of sorts. It was thick and rough to the touch of Jimin’s already sore hands. As he got up the creature’s leg, Jimin also couldn’t help but notice that what seemed like large chunks of stones and walls protruded out from the colossus’ body here and there. Mostly in his joint areas. Jimin narrowed his eyes in concentration and bewilderment.

_What were these things?_

But he didn’t have much time to focus on that question as he now felt the colossus tremble underneath his feet, in an attempt to stand up. Quickly, Jimin pulled out the sword once more and as soon as sunlight hit the blade it started to shine brightly, illuminating what looked like a pale blue-coloured sigil on the colossus’s leg, just meters away from where Jimin stood. Without another though, Jimin ran towards it, grabbed on to the colossus’ fur in order to anchor himself and raised his sword high only to plough it firmly into the creature’s leg. Another deafening bellowing sound filled the canyon as Jimin pulled out his sword from the colossus’ calf. A sort of black smoke was now spraying out of the wound and Jimin covered his eyes from it as he held on tight to a patch of fur. The colossus screamed still as it struggled to get up now. Jimin’s ears were ringing from its loud cries. Every muscle in his body trembled but his eyes were already looking upwards, searching for a path that would lead him up to the colossus’ head.

With a few calculated jumps and leaps, Jimin managed to find his way to the creature’s lower back, where he now crouched on a piece of stone that was somehow a part of the colossus’ body. Small metal cylinders lined one end of the stone slab and Jimin found himself wondering if they formed a fence once by any chance. But he couldn’t dwell on that now. He had to keep moving. The colossus was now back up both its feet, although it limped a little as it tried to walk, probably frantically searching for Jimin on the ground. So it couldn’t sense that Jimin was standing on one of the ledges on his back. That was good. However, Jimin figured that the creature would immediately figure out his whereabouts once he’d grab a handful of its fur and start climbing its back again. He would have to be quick. And hold on tight. His heart was still hammering away and each breath Jimin took burned his oesophagus, but all of a sudden he felt a surge of energy from somewhere deep within his body. He managed to break one sigil. There was only one more left. And Jimin was a good climber. He could do this.

Tucking his sword away, Jimin started to climb further up the colossus’ back. As he expected, this made the colossus realise where he was almost immediately and the creature began to shake its entire upper body. Jimin pressed as closely as he could to the creature’s back, his hands holding on to its fur as tightly as he could. He could barely feel his hands by now, and in stark contrast to that the muscles in his arms seemed to scream at him in pain. With a heavy pant and sweat droplets now falling into his eyes, Jimin managed to climb up to another small ledge just underneath the colossus’ shoulders. As Jimin stretched out on the small platform, the colossus had ceased its erratic shaking and started to look around again, probably trying to see if it had managed to get Jimin off its back. Jimin could feel his limbs trembling severely by now and lifted his right hand to eye-level. It trembled uncontrollably and he was sure he would barely be able to grip the sword with that hand. But he had gotten this far and he wasn’t about to let everything go to waste. Agro was waiting for him down there. And there was Yoongi as well… Jimin could feel another breath catch in his throat as his chest continued to heave painfully. He let out a small cry as he remembered the elder’s tender smile and Jimin’s heart nearly stood still from all the pain that hit him again. Yes, there was Yoongi. Jimin was doing all of this for him after all. And he couldn’t give up.

With one last deep inhale, Jimin stood up on shaking legs and jumped. He would have to be quick if he were to finish this. He climbed as fast as he could along the spine of the creature and reached the top of its head just as it let out another loud cry and started to shake its head almost violently. Jimin could feel his body being thrown every which way by the sheer force of the colossus’ movements. He didn’t dare look down and see the height he might fall from, should he loose his grip on the fur underneath him. When the colossus slowed its movements for a few seconds Jimin swiftly pulled out the sword he was carrying and sure enough, there was the sigil, shining brightly underneath the blazing sun. Without hesitation he flung the sword straight into the colossus’ head, pushing it down as much as his strength allowed him. At this the colossus let out a scream like no other – not only was it so loud that it hurt Jimin’s eardrums, making him shut his eyes in pain, but the cry was filled with so much pain and a sort of desperation that Jimin couldn’t help but scream himself, suddenly gripped by an intense fear about what he had done. Jimin screamed so loud that for a split second he thought his vocal chords would snap. The colossus was starting to fall face-forward to the ground just as Jimin managed to pull his sword out from its head. Black smoke erupted from the freshly inflicted wound and clouded Jimin’s vision. Without really knowing what he was doing, Jimin backed away towards the creature’s neck, laying low in its fur and bracing himself for the impact that was soon to come. The colossus hit the ground with a loud thud, the impact sending ripples through the soil underneath and all though Jimin’s aching body. When Jimin opened his eyes he could see a cloud of dust now starting to settle around the corpse. Trembling and half-blind, he got to his feet again and started to run. It was only after he stood about ten meters away from the colossus’ body that Jimin stopped and turned around to look at it. His lungs still felt as if they had coals burning in them, his throat could just as well have been riddled with small daggers. His breath shuddered as his eyes landed on the body in front of him. The creature’s eyes had stopped glowing completely now, leaving behind what Jimin could now make out as two small stone circles that once housed the brilliant ice-blue light he had first seen not long ago. Tears were unknowingly streaming down Jimin’s cheeks as he watched the body of the once imposing colossus. Mere seconds later and to Jimin’s complete astonishment and horror, a kind of black liquid smoke started to engulf the colossus’ large body. Jimin started to back away slowly but he couldn’t take his eyes off the sight in front of him – long thin, black ribbons were sprouting from the now entirely covered corpse and they were making their way directly towards Jimin. Shocked, he young archer quickly turned around and started to run towards the path that led him up here in the first place. But he was stopped all of a sudden. The ribbons had caught up to him and were now wrapping themselves around his limbs, making it impossible to move further. A moment later, Jimin felt a searing pain in his stomach area and looked down to see the ribbons seemingly entering his body. Black smoke, the kind that gushed out from the colossus’ body, was now flowing out of Jimin’s mouth and before he could even think of what to do his vision blacked out. He had lost consciousness entirely by the time his body hit the ground.

\--

A shadow creature was standing next to an unconscious Jimin sprawled out on the floor of the shrine’s nave. Just as Jimin’s eyes fluttered open and he was coming back to his senses, the smoky shadow swiftly evaporated into thin air.

The very first thing Jimin became aware of was that all the pain in his body had somehow disappeared. He felt cold and his head hurt, but he definitely felt a lot better than he did not long ago. Actually… how long ago was it that he had killed the first colossus? What were those ribbons that flowed out of the giant creature’s body and latched on to his? He blinked several times in an attempt to bring his surroundings into focus and soon realised that he was back in the Shrine of Worship. The cold he felt was due to the wind coming in from behind the altar he now stood in front of. Jimin could see the hem of Yoongi’s white robe flutter gently in the soft breeze, along with a few strands of his hair. Slowly, Jimin walked up to the altar and looked at Yoongi. The elder was completely still, making for an eerie contrast against the fluttering of his hair and clothing.

Suddenly, Jimin could feel the stone platform on which he stood beginning to shake underneath his feet. A low rumbling sound rose from somewhere behind him and he turned around just in time to witness how one of the statues on the right started to crack, bright white light seemingly emanating from within it, and then implode; a thin layer of dust was settling on the now crumbled idol. Seconds later, the opening above him burst with a magnificent light yet again and Jimin could hear Dormin addressing him:

‘Thy next foe is... In the seaside cave... It moves slowly... Raise thy courage to defeat it.’ And then there was silence yet again.

Jimin took one more look around before whistling loudly.

‘Agro!’ he called shortly afterwards.

Sure enough, Jimin could hear Agro galloping up the steps that led outside the shrine, to his left.

Jimin ran over to her and leaned his forehead against hers.

‘Thank the heavens you’re alright.’ He whispered, stroking the side of her neck. Agro hummed contentedly. ‘Were you outside, grazing? Good.’ He gave her one last gentle smile before walking over to the side and straddling Agro.

As soon as they had left the confines of the Shrine, Jimin pulled out his sword and held it towards the sun. The blade formed a magnificent beam of light yet again, this time pointing towards their right. West it was then. With the gigantic stone bridge towering on their right, they ran across an open field, with only a few trees scattered here and there, until they reached a narrow bridge that ran across a vast lake underneath. Actually it wasn’t even so much a bridge, as a sort of arch that seemed to have sprouted from the earth itself. Instinctively, agro slowed her pace as they started to walk across the dangerously narrow structure. When they got to the other side, Jimin lifted the sword once more and saw its beam of light pointing towards their right. There was a path there, that lead downwards to the lake they had just walked above.

Only the soft sound of the howling wind, the distant rustling of the leaves and the lazy splashes of the lake’s water hitting the shore could be heard.

Jimin prompted Agro to walk along the shore as they reached the end of the path that lead towards the second colossus’ lair. The tall pillars that sustained the main bridge leading into the Forbidden Lands cut through the lake and its shore. As they moved forward along the bottom of the valley, Jimin suddenly noticed a gigantic beam of white light, north-east of them. It soared to the sky, apparently touching the dark grey clouds above, making them form an enormous vortex that swirled around the radiating beam of light. Jimin let out a soft sigh as he realised the beam probably marked the spot where the first colossus had fallen.

Finally taking his eyes off the giant pillar of light in the sky, Jimin surveyed his surroundings. His eyes soon landed on what appeared to be a huge stone gate, tucked away in a cave on the side of the cliffs to their right. A deep, deceptively distant-sounding, humming could be heard coming from the cave entrance. Just as Jimin was about to get off Agro and go over to the large gate, it started to crack and with a powerful bang! it exploded only to reveal the colossus that broke free from its confines.

This creature was also about twenty meters tall and appeared about twice as long, as it was quadrupedal. Jimin’s first thought was that this colossus resembled a giant bull. Its sparkling ice-blue eyes soon settled on Jimin and Agro and it gave out an enraged bellow that seemed to shake the very soil they were standing on. Agro leaped backwards in fright, Jimin struggling to keep her steady. The creature lifted itself on its hind legs as it roared and kicked and from what Jimin could figure, it intended to crush both him and Agro when it would drop its front feet back to the ground. Again acting mostly on instinct Jimin quickly grabbed his bow and a few arrows and aimed for the colossus’ foot. He managed to land several shots directly into the sole of the creature’s left foot, causing it to roar out in pain as it fell to the ground, in an almost kneeling position. Its injured leg was bent and twisted outward. And not that big… Jimin figured this was his chance. If the first colossus was anything to go by, this one’s vital spots would be somewhere on its body proper as well. The archer quickly put his bow away and pulled out his sword as he jumped off Agro. The mare whinnied loudly after him as he ran towards the colossus.

‘Stay there Agro!’ Jimin shouted over his shoulder. ‘Stay safe and I’ll be right back!’

The bull-like colossus was just beginning to stand up on its injured leg again as Jimin leaped onto it. He was climbing the creature’s shin when he noticed a gracefully curving ledge that lined the side of the colossus’ body. Out of its back protruded more curving stone formations, similar in shape to ribs and a spine running along its back. It was as if the creature possessed some sort of exoskeleton. Jimin grabbed on to the creature’s fur and made his way towards the ledge running on the side of the colossus. He figured it was easier to climb on top of it from behind rather than its side, which was steep and lined with a thick stone coat. While he had the ledge to walk on, moving was still no easy feat. The colossus was roaring and trying to shake its body in order to knock Jimin off. Slowly, with his hands aching and pulsing by now, Jimin managed to reach the colossus’ rear and climbed up its back, just above its tailbone. He immediately raised the sword and had to close his eyes as a blinding light pierced them from the fur just in front of him. With a firm grip on the sword’s hilt, Jimin lifted the weapon and brought it down with all the strength he could muster. Black, watery smoke burst forth form the colossus’ fresh wound, as the creature began to wail and shake and stomp its feet on the ground, making the earth beneath them quake. The iridescent sigil had disappeared but the colossus was still alive. Jimin held on tightly to its fur and raised his sword once again. Surely enough, Jimin immediately spotted an icy shimmer covering the colossus’ head. He sheathed the sword and began to crawl on all fours in order to navigate the creature’s back. It was not easy. Not only did Jimin have to constantly hold on to the stone underneath him so as to keep from falling while the colossus attempted to shake him off, but it turned out that the plates protecting its back were separated in sections; each moved slightly differently while the colossus itself moved, making it tricky to jump from one platform to another. The only advantage the platforms gave Jimin was that it seemed to make the colossus unable to tell where he was. But he knew that as soon as he would reach the giant’s head he’d have to hold onto its fur again and hold on tightly at that, for the colossus would shake its head fiercely and continuously.

The colossus’ roars echoed loudly in Jimin’s ears as he climbed its head and prepared to strike. The tendons and muscles in his limbs were screaming with pain, knuckles white as he clenched the short hairs on the creature’s head. Jimin prayed harder than ever that he didn’t fall off, trying to somehow ground his legs in the body below him; he was feeling dizzy, his ears were ringing and he could feel his sense of balance completely thrown off by all the shaking and wobbling his body was being subjected to. Jimin blinked once and then again. The sigil in front of him came back into focus. The wind hugged his entire body, making him shudder from the cold. Jimin raised his right hand once more and pounded the sword as deeply as he could into the colossus’s head. The creature let out one last guttural howl before becoming completely still and falling to the ground. Jimin held on tightly to the corpse, his body ricocheting against it as they hit the ground.

Jimin quickly got up and started running away from the body and screaming for Agro. He hit the entire right side of his body during the impact and found that he was limping as he tried to run.

Agro was quick to arrive by Jimin’s side and huffed impatiently for him to get on. Once he was safely by Agro’s side, Jimin turned around yet again to take a look at what was left of the colossus. His hands unknowingly clenched around Agro’s reins.

His mouth contorted into a pained grimace and Jimin fell to his knees and started to cry and wail loudly at the sight before him.

_But this is what you have been tasked to do. And you agreed to do it._

Jimin knew this. He kept repeating it to himself in order to try and soothe pain that blossomed in his chest. Maybe it was because this colossus looked more like a normal animal than the other one. Maybe on some deep level he was associating it with Agro. But Agro was here, next to him, her head leaned down and her nose pressing gently against Jimin’s temple. He could feel her warm breath ruffle his hair. He would never hurt Agro. Never. And these creatures weren’t even entirely creatures. They were made of earth and stone, for goodness’ sake.

Moments later the colossus’ body became covered by a mass of dark, fluid-looking smoke and ribbons started to spring forth from it. Jimin saw this and quickly got up on Agro, prompting her to run back up the path they came on. Maybe if they ran fast enough the swirling black ribbons couldn’t catch him. But they barely covered a few meters’ worth of distance when Jimin felt himself being caught and pulled back. Jimin hit the ground with a dull thud and he could still see Agro turn around and run back towards him before he closed his eyes suddenly. A sharp, piercing pain stabbed at his stomach as the ribbons entered him yet again and Jimin coughed up black smoke. He felt like he was choking on air somehow; he couldn’t breathe.

The last thing Jimin remembered before he blacked out again was the sound of Agro’s scared and desperate whinnies. He wanted to get up. Comfort her. Tell her that he was alright. There was nothing to be afraid of. But his body wouldn’t listen to him, it wouldn’t move. His vision faded away in an instant and the next thing Jimin knew was that he was completely engulfed by darkness.


End file.
